Sources: Riviera, USGA Deep in Discussions About Hosting 2031 U.S. Open

Chris Condon. Getty Images.

The United States Golf Association and Riviera Country Club are deep in negotiations about the club hosting the 2031 U.S. Open. 

A number of sources including tour players and club members have told Barstool Sports that both sides want to get the deal across the finish line but that no paperwork has been signed.

"We're focused on bringing the Women's Open to Riviera in 2026 and will continue to discuss future opportunities with the club," a USGA spokesman said. 

It would mark the first men's major championship at Riviera since the 1995 PGA Championship, won by Steve Elkingston. Riviera hosted the 1948 U.S. Open—that tournament was won by Ben Hogan, part of the reason the course is affectionately known as "Hogan's Alley."

The Pacific Palisades, Calif., George Thomas designed hosted the 2017 U.S. Amateur and will host the U.S. Women's Open in 2026. Riviera will also host the golf competition during the 2028 Olympics, which could serve as a dress rehearsal of sorts to iron out any logistical issues in the congested West Los Angeles area. 

The move would surely be a popular one in tour circles, as Riviera consistently ranks among players' favorite courses on the PGA Tour. It has played host to the Los Angeles Open—now known as the Genesis Invitational, hosted by Tiger Woods and one of the tour's designated events—59 times. 

"I love Riviera," Jordan Spieth said last year. "I think it's arguably, it's in the conversation as the best golf course in the world."

Riviera is currently ranked as the No. 22 best course in the United States by Golf Digest. As for the course being beefed up to USGA standards—Collin Morikawa's in: "I would be 100% for it," he said. 

It would mark the USGA's second foray into the Los Angeles area for its flagship championship. Los Angeles Country Club's North Course will host its first major championship when the U.S. Open visits in 2023. Riviera and LACC—both originally designed by Thomas—are widely considered the top two courses in Los Angeles and the clubs have had something of a rivalry throughout the years.

Every future U.S. Open site is determined through 2035 except for 2031.